Playing the percentages means different things in different circumstances.
How should Pat Sajak and Grady Little adjust our view of measuring bullpen management?
Robbie Alomar isn’t a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, but should we be surprised, or outraged?
Which managers did the best at understanding leverage in their handling of the bullpen?
Do extreme splits early in a player’s career predict future success?
An exercise in sorting out when and why stolen-base rates fluctuate.
Is Joe Mauer’s quest for another batting title really at risk because of his wearing down from catching?
To read Tim Kniker’s Unfiltered post following up on one of the audience’s suggested topics, surf here. When I hear the four greatest words of spring (“Pitchers and catchers report”), hope erupts in my heart. I am powerless to withhold expressing this hope to my wife, my friends, my co-workers and my relatives. Much to…
Mike Ferrin talks with Tim Kniker in a special edition of Baseball Prospectus Radio. Click to download the mp3. Mike Ferrin: Every week we get a chance to talk to one of the folks from Baseball Prospectus. Tim Kniker joining us today to talk a little about the American League Central and specifically the Royals,…
Today’s slate of interleague games was particularly unappealing as only one matchup featured two teams with winning records – the 2008 World Series rematch between Tampa Bay and Philadelphia. Unfortunately, the pitching matchup of Antonio Bastardo (5.21 ERA) versus Andy Sonnanstine (6.60 ERA) left a lot to be desired. The lone National League contest had…
In March 2002, Baseball Digest said we were living in “the era of the shortstop.” After all, the late 1990s ushered in a crop of offensive-minded shortstops like Alex Rodriguez, Miguel Tejada, Derek Jeter, and Nomar Garciaparra. The article included the Royals‘ Neifi Perez, but given the benefit of hindsight, I’ll leave him out of…
Background/History The emergence of Kila Ka’aihue (pronounced KEY-luh Kuh-eye-HOO-a) as a legitimate prospect was one of the top two surprises (along with Mike Aviles) of 2008 for the player development department of the Royals front office. After receiving dismal offensive production from first base (.720 OPS, ranking 27th in the Majors) in 2008, the Royals…
The most beautiful thing in the world is a ballpark filled with people. – Bill Veeck As the scoreboard programmer for the Trenton Thunder in their inaugural season (1994), one of my daily tasks was to enter in player averages from the compiled statistics faxed to us from the Howe News Bureau. Before I did…
Welcome Hello, new readers! Welcome to our new series, Fantasy Baseball Do-It-Yourself (DIY). Do you love fantasy baseball, but find that those annual magazines and websites don’t actually help? Have you long ago left behind stodgy rotisserie fantasy for more cutting edge leagues? Are you willing to spend a little time learning to use Excel…
Introduction Doesn’t it always seem to happen to your team? Down by two in the 5th, your team gets a lead-off double followed by a walk. First and second, no one out – this is the start of a big inning. Next thing you know, after a lazy fly-ball to shallow left and a strikeout,…
Bio: You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand the nuances of baseball…. But it helps! I began my quest for an opportunity to analyze and write about baseball by doing the obvious: getting a degree in aerospace engineering from Princeton University and doing my senior research on annulled magentoplasmadynamic thrusters. After a…